ISIS are tearing their hair out trying to make sense of The Age today

You want to know what's happening, so do I 

Karen DeYoung in Washington USA

Obama is looking for global commitment but those expecting an expansion of operations will be disappointed. The core of the coalition his administration seeks for Iraq includes major NATO powers. Britain France and Canada have participated in humanitarian air drops and have delivered weapons to the Iraqi military or Kurdish fighters. Germany said it would supply weapons Albania agreed. Others including Australia have participated.

It seems to me from what Karen says Abbott is not the Deputy Sheriff that Murdoch commentators are making him out to be we are "others"

Nick Miller The Age Australia

"Australia is keen to play it's part ensuring that this heightened terrorist risk can be tackled head on" Australia is drawing up contingency plans to send in forces to deal with the threat posed by ISIS. They will have been done in a couple of weeks  "the red line is combat troops on the ground" US airstrikes have had some significant impact but there is more that needs to be done. Australia has already helped with humanitarian aid and weapons to the Kurdish Pashmerga.

So we are drawing up urgent contingency plans with the "red line" in mind. However there is no interest from any country to commit combat troops. . No formal request has come through so we are not committed to joining the action as yet We are actually some distance from any specific requests. However we face a direct home grown domestic threat. That we can attend to. We are active little puppies aren't we for a country so far away when NATO is so close. Strategically shouldn't we be keeping Indonesia,Malaysia and the Philippines onside.

Ruth Pollard The Age Australia

Iraq delays delivery of RAAF arms to Kurds. Kurds are angry over Baghdad's meddling.  Long standing Tensions between them were delaying delivery. A constant Baghdad policy for years..in order to keep the Pashmerga weak . The urgent delivery have to be cleared through customs in Baghdad first.

According to the Pashmerga it's Baghdad's reluctance to give the Kurds any Independence at all. So have the weapons even got to Erbil in the quantities on the manifest or even in usable condition?
How can you know. Yet according to Julie Bishop the mission has been accomplished. The humanitarian food drop that we hear so much about was one day's supply for 2500 people. Was that it or are flights leaving and returning daily? Airdrops are named humanitarian as they take off from here but is the result humanitarian when they hit the ground. These sorts of activities have had unintended consequences elsewhere. In Africa food never reached the most needy. Drops only created a black market.
Has the Washington report understated Australia's role so far or has Fairfax overstated it Imagine what Murdoch News will do with it. As good Muslims say Enshallah